So, the first game was a big win.
The Seidō players were happy about it, of course, since it was a good start.
But that was all it was.
The real competition wasn't Akikawa, but the tough teams that could stop them from going further.
The players wouldn't get too excited until they beat those teams or made it to Koshien.
Takumi thought the game went the way it should have.
His seniors were strong, and he did pretty well too.
If they didn't win, something would be wrong.
After the game, they were supposed to rest for the afternoon, like they always do.
But the game was easy, and the players weren't tired.
Some of the second and third-year players decided to do extra training.
Miyuki Kazuya and Takumi were the only first-years on the first string, so they had to keep up.
They trained with the upperclassmen until after six in the evening.
The seniors planned to continue after dinner.
But Kazuya and Takumi were done. They took a bath and went to bed.
The next day felt like any other day.
He lived in a clean, two-bedroom apartment near the school.
His parents weren't around, but a nanny cleaned and cooked for him.
When he woke up, breakfast was ready: omurice, millet congee, and a couple of side dishes.
There was milk too.
"Takumi-kun, hurry up and eat, you don't have much time," Mrs. Tanaka encouraged warmly.
Morning practice started very early, but she always made him breakfast half an hour in advance.
"Tanaka-san, you really don't have to go to all this trouble. The school has a cafeteria," he murmured, with a hint of gratitude.
"No trouble at all!" Mrs. Tanaka scoffed, her face showing disapproval. "What kind of nutrition do you think that cafeteria food has?"
Takumi nodded helplessly. He had to admit that even the school's breakfast...
It was just a ton of food to fill you up.
It wasn't exactly nutritious.
Players from well-off families in the school would be provided with nutritional supplements to specifically improve their physical fitness.
He, on the other hand, was lucky to have Mrs. Tanaka making him good meals.
When he got to school, the field was pretty empty.
He was about to warm up and wait for everyone to show up when...
Someone jumped on his back.
"Whoa!"
His body, unable to withstand the sudden attack, staggered forward a step.
He almost fell over, but caught himself. "Do you always have to say hi like that?" he grumbled, with a mixture of annoyance and amusement.
The guy behind him laughed. "Haha, it shows we're close! You seem stronger, too. Is the first-string training really that good?"
Takumi just smiled knowingly.
The training helped, for sure.
But the system's little boost was the real reason.
It turned him from super weak to just a little less weak.
"Have you seen the news?" Kuramochi Yōichi got off his back and asked, sounding mysterious.
"What news?" Takumi responded, a bit confused.
He had gone to sleep as soon as he returned to his room. He had to be up early, so he didn't want to sleep in.
As a result, he naturally hadn't had time to check his phone.
"It's yesterday's report; it's everywhere!" Yōichi exclaimed, his face beaming with a smile.
"Does it have to do with our team?" Takumi questioned, a flicker of curiosity in his eyes.
"Yep! It claims we might actually have a shot at taking down Inashiro this year," Yōichi declared, a surge of excitement in his voice.
As members of Seidō, their dislike for Inashiro Industrial was deeply ingrained.
Even Yōichi, who wasn't on the first string, felt that way.
"It's about the team we played yesterday. They lost to Inashiro 7-3 in the spring. We beat them 11-0 and ended the game early," he explained, with a note of pride.
Both were wins, but the scores meant totally different things.
"It's not the same, the way we approached the game..." Takumi countered, skeptically.
He didn't think Akikawa was a good way to compare Seidō and Inashiro.
Plus, they were kind of out of it during the game, so they weren't playing their best.
"Everyone knows Inashiro isn't weak," he stated matter-of-factly.
Yōichi nodded and continued excitedly, "But doesn't it feel good to hear someone say that?"
They were both top teams in West Tokyo.
But Inashiro was always called the best, and they were just one of the top three.
It felt like they were always second best.
How could the players of Seidō accept this?
"It's not just about the team, there's something about you too. Looks like our Takumi-kun is going to be famous!" He exclaimed, a playful grin spreading across his face.
Huh?
Takumi definitely wasn't expecting that.
"Me?" He questioned, in disbelief.
"Yeah, it's about you being a first-year who just started, and you got three hits, two RBIs, and batted 100%."
"They're saying it's a perfect start for a rookie," Yōichi rattled off, brimming with excitement.
"One reporter even said you're the best rookie in Tokyo this year!" He revealed, his eyes wide with enthusiasm.
If you just looked at the numbers, it made sense why they'd say that.
Takumi himself also felt it was very surreal.
He trained with the second and third-years, and he knew he wasn't as good as them.
But the media was calling him the best rookie.
Yōichi said there was even a picture of him in the paper.
He'd become famous all of a sudden.
But it didn't really feel like it.
His teammates would tease him a little, but that was it.
Then they'd train and go to class like always.
Seidō didn't have to play in the first two rounds because they were a seeded team.
Now that they had won the third round, there were only 32 teams left in West Tokyo.
Next up was the Round of 32.
They'd be playing some tough teams from here on out.
That was what they were focused on.
But even though they were calm about it, other teams weren't.
Akikawa wasn't a big deal, but they'd hired a coach who used to be a pro, which was a pretty big deal.
So they were kind of famous.
Seidō beat them 11-0, which is a pretty big deal.
Plus, everyone was talking about him being the best rookie.
So, other teams were definitely paying attention to Seidō.
Especially the teams they'd be playing against.